The present invention relates to a storage assembly formed by components including a container and a closure such as a lid. More particularly, the present invention relates to such an assembly that incorporates features, preferably securement strips and an egress shield, that cooperate to provide the assembly with tamper resistant and tamper indicator characteristics.
A typical lid and container assembly includes a removable lid, mounted onto a container with a snap fit engagement. The lid and container may be separate pieces or formed from a single piece as is the case with a clam-shell (also referred to as a xe2x80x9chinge-lidxe2x80x9d) container. Such containers are widely known. These lid and container assemblies can be of a wide variety of shapes and sizes and may be used to store a wide variety of items. Due to their relatively low cost, lid and container assemblies made from polymeric materials such as polyester or polyethylene are particularly useful as packaging for foodstuffs. Various types of such assemblies have been described previously, e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,256,240; 4,186,184; 5,540,342; 4,444,332; 4,408,698; 3,556,338; 5,368,178; 4,574,974; 4,334,631; and 3,592,349.
Generally, a container and lid assembly must not only protect its contents from the environment, but must also desirably incorporate features that resist tampering and/or that make it easy to determine if someone or something has tampered with, or may otherwise have harmed the integrity of, the contents of the assembly. A number of anti-tamper features have been proposed for use in lid and container assemblies. For example, some lid and container assemblies use foils underneath the lid. Such foils are adhered to the rim of the container to seal its opening. Although it is easy to see when such a foil has been pierced, the lid typically must be removed in order to observe this. Moreover, removing the lid, in and of itself, is an act that can adversely impact the integrity of the contents stored in the lid and container assembly. Sophisticated machinery is also required to apply the foil.
According to another approach, a peripheral band of a shrink wrap material has been used around the entire juncture between the lid and the container in an effort to provide a tamper resistant seal. Tampering is evident if the shrink wrap band has been damaged or removed. Although shrink bands may be effective as tamper indicators, their use involves extra manufacturing steps and expense. For instance, a shrink band itself is relatively expensive. The use of a shrink band as a packaging element also requires the use of ovens to cause shrinking of the band, thus establishing an on-going utility demand for the energy needed to run the ovens. Shrink band material itself generally cannot be used very effectively as a label. Thus, even when a shrink band wrap is used to seal a lid to a container, it often may still be necessary to attach separate label(s) to the assembly for purposes of displaying a logo, graphics, bar codes, product information, instructions, or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,342 describes a tamper resistant lid in which the lid incorporates two locking mechanisms. One locking mechanism is in the form of a tear strip that is physically tom away from the lid in order to allow the lid to be removed from the container. The tear strip is discarded after this. The other locking mechanism is used to provide a reusable, snap fit engagement between the lid and container. Use of a tear strip, however, involves extra complexity and more cost for the manufacturer, and hence for the end-user as well.
Accordingly, there remains a need for economical and effective tamper indicators and tamper resistant features for use in lid and container assemblies.
The present invention provides a storage assembly in which lid features and one or more securement strip(s) that help secure the lid to its container cooperatively provide the assembly with tamper resistant and tamper indicator features. Specifically, the lid is structured so that one or more simple securement strips, such as adhesive tapes, or even a non-peripherally wrapped shrink band (e.g., one that is wrapped around the assembly from top to bottom), can be used to secure the lid to the container at one or more locations. The securement strip(s) inhibit egress into the container at the taped or secured regions. In the meantime, an egress barrier incorporated into the lid also inhibits egress into the container through untaped or unsecured regions of the assembly. Thus, the assembly is tamper resistant around the entire juncture between the lid and container even though only part of the juncture is covered by the securement strip(s). The combination of the securement strip(s) and egress barrier eliminates the need to use any kind of peripherally-wrapped shrink band to secure the lid to the container.
Additionally, any damage or removal of the securement strip(s) is easily observed, so that the strip(s) also function as a tamper indicator. As an additional advantage, information in the form of a logo, graphic images, product information, instructions, bar codes, and/or any other printed information is easily printed onto securement strip(s) in the form of tapes so that the tapes further function as labeling for the assembly. Separate labels need not be affixed to the container. Shrink bands generally cannot serve such a dual purpose.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a storage assembly including a container and a closure. The container has an opening rim, and the closure releasably engages the opening rim, said engagement forming a peripheral, closure/container juncture. At least one securement strip, which preferably is a strip of adhesive tape for example, secures the closure to the container along one or more portions of the juncture. The strip extends across a portion of the juncture from a surface of the closure to a surface of the container, thus defining at least one covered juncture portion and at least one uncovered juncture portion. One or more egress barriers project downward from the closure into the container. The one or more egress barriers are circumferentially positioned on the closure adjacent to the closure""s outer periphery. Said egress barriers are proximal to at least a portion of an uncovered juncture portion to inhibit egress into the container through such juncture portion.